Almost five years in, Springfield’s grocery store war continues unabated.

I don’t mean to sound frivolous, comparing the sale of pork chops and corn flakes to mortal combat. But a grocery industry analyst I once interviewed, Jim Hertel, had a colorful way of describing the competition among local chains and it stuck with me.

“You’re going to witness a battle of the titans right there,” Hertel told me in 2012, as Iowa-based Hy-Vee’s entry into the local market sparked an outsized construction backlash by Arkansas-based Walmart.

After that, I haven’t been able to shake the image of a supermarket showdown in which coupon-carrying cashiers do battle in the parking lot with shopping carts and day-old doughnuts.

As with any war, the results of individual battles, retreats and advances can be hard to track. The Dillons chain’s exit from the field late last year led to a series of moves by local Pyramid Foods, which closed a couple of Price Cutter stores even as it opened new ones in the shells of two former Dillons.

All the talk of openings and closings left me a little confused. I’ve been experimenting with some online mapping software for another project and decided to test out my skills with a map showing the most recent developments, laid out on Springfield streets.

In determining which stores to include, I used similar criteria to what the city has used when identifying “food deserts.” I also added in the big box Sam’s Clubs as well as MaMa Jean’s Natural Markets, which have expanded to include more traditional grocery items than in the past. Pyramid’s Bistro Market, which used to be a grocery but is now mostly a liquor store, also is on the list (for the same reason recently closed stores were included). I didn’t include ethnic markets, butchers or specialty shops, or places like Braum’s that offer a limited selection of staples.

The result showcases the competition in the local market, which will contain more than three dozen grocery options once the announced stores are complete.

Walmart, with five Supercenters, two Sam’s Clubs and five (soon to be six) Neighborhood Markets, remains a dominant force. Pyramid Foods stores are the next most numerous, with 12 groceries in all once the closures and planned openings take place. Other companies have smaller presences, with one to three locations.

As Hy-Vee demonstrated, even a single store can shape the battle for years to come. So grab some popcorn with your next load of groceries — I’ve got a feeling the supermarket clash of the titans won’t cool off any time soon.

Supermarket Shakeup

The closure of the Dillons supermarkets late last year and subsequent moves by Pyramid Food’s Price Cutter stores have altered the grocery store landscape in Springfield. Here’s a summary of the most recent developments:

1) The Price Cutter grocery at 1720 W. Grand St. is scheduled to close Sunday, with no announced plan for reopening.

2) After much controversy, the city’s sixth Walmart Neighborhood Market is under construction at 444 W. Grand St. and is slated to open in early 2016.

3) Part of a former Price Cutter grocery store at 1730 S. Campbell Ave. is being converted into a Planet Fitness gym. A new Save-A-Lot discount grocery also is planned and will occupy about a third of the space the Price Cutter did.

4) Pyramid Foods plans to open a King Cash Saver store at 1707 W. Battlefield Road, the site of a former Dillons.

5) Another former Dillons site, at 2843 E. Sunshine St., is being developed into a “top secret” store featuring natural foods and other products.

6) Hy-Vee representatives have said they still plan to build a second Springfield grocery store in the 2100 block of East Sunshine Street, but no timeline has been announced.

Credit: Amos Bridges/News-Leader

Market Forces: Springfield Grocery Chains

The battle for Springfield’s grocery dollars involves big players like Walmart and Pyramid Foods as well as a number of companies with only a few stores in the city.